Praesepe Magic
Praesepe Magic (積尸気の魔法, Sekishiki no Mahō) is seen as one of the more obscure forms of magic, classified as a Caster Magic; it's also considered to be one of the oldest known magics, dating back thousands upon thousands of years. This makes it seem primitive in nature, despite its complex mechanics. Rumored to have been created by a powerful mage who had the ability to communicate with the dead, it was considered to be a form of the Black Arts but was later debunked as it didn't adhere to the normal standards of the fighting style. In fact, it was modeled after the concepts found in Necromancy — a terrifying form of magic in its own right; this makes it a form of Subspecies Magic. It also shares some estranged relation to Seith Magic, as the two also follow similar concepts, but this has yet to be debated. However, because of its overall gruesome nature — violating the basic laws concerning life & death, it was outlawed by various governments & the Magical Council, its users hunted down and harshly punished. Although most of the information about this magic was destroyed, there are still lingering traces of it scattered in certain parts of the world. It's said that individuals who practiced this magic were recognized as "Einherjar" ( , Einheryaru; Old Norse for "Single (or Once) Fighters", Japanese for "Tyrannical Messengers of the Departed Spirits") — referencing their ability to control life & death as if it was a mere plaything. It's a known fact that Demons and Dark Mages are the most common practitioners, with some being able to fully comprehend and master the basic foundations concerning this magic. Currently, it's unknown how many practitioners exist in the modern era, but its stated that its few in number as information pertaining to it has mostly been lost. Overview Considered to be one of the most dangerous forms of magic in existence, it allows one to manipulate the soul and the "concept of death"; with the latter, this means that the user can control various concepts dealing with the soul and the afterlife, to an extent. This is seen when the user sends the target's soul to another dimension through the use of this magic — separating it from their body and effectively killing them in the process. Another example is the manipulation of corpses — regardless of origins (with the exception of higher beings of course), using it as they see fit; as long as it remains within the concept of death itself, anything goes. This includes temporarily transcending the borders of life and death, freely traveling to the afterlife. Typically, this magic is ineffective against those that's either amortal or immortal, as they are immune to the concept through unknown means. It's unknown how this magic can be countered, considering all information pertaining to it is either considered lost or hidden away — deemed too powerful for any person to wield; however, it should be noted that the magic is able to counter other Black Arts and magic of a similar nature, overpowering them to an extent. In order for this magic to be invoked, the user concentrates magical power to a specific aspect of their body — all the while gathering eternano in the air and establishing a "connection" between the caster and the target, similar to the effects of Organic Link Magic. When reaching its critical point, they shoot the energy from that point of their body straight at the target in a spiraling manner — using the eternano gathered as a bridge of sorts. The beam reacts to the magical origin of the target, and by extension, the very core of their being — the soul. Similar to a tug-of-war match, the user pulls on the target's soul until forcefully ejecting it from the body; here, the user is able to manipulate the souls in whatever way he sees fit. Alternatively, the user is able to summon forth souls that are either in the vicinity or from the afterlife, using an invisible gateway forged through their own power. The souls in-question appear as blue orbs of fiery-light and are rather small in appearance — constantly floating around the user; since they are technically a form of energy in said state, they can be used in the same way as eternano — and by extension, magical power. Despite such an advantage, this magic carries incredible dangers whenever used — mostly correlating to the user's own soul; aside from the large amounts of magical power being consumed at a time, when used for a prolonged period, there's a danger that the user's essence will be forcefully extracted from them because of exposure to the soul energy of those under their command. In this sense, they will die within the period the magic used. Thus, this magic can only be used in short bursts. It's due to such a danger that the magic was sealed away and deemed forbidden and considered to be a form of Black Art, one of the most dangerous potential. Spells *'Sekishiki Meikaiha' (積尸気冥界波, lit. "Praesepe Underworld Wave"): The user concentrates their magical energy on their finger, compressing it before unleashing several powerful waves of energy, which are released in a spiraling pattern. As it falls directly under the manipulation of hellfire, it directly affects the foe's soul, causing the foe's soul to burn away using the user's life-force as a catalyst; causing the soul to separate from the body by severing spiritual bonds; reducing the chances of the foe's soul returning to their body drastically. The enemy's soul is sent to another dimension, and if they desires, the user can follow the foe to said dimension without suffering any consequences. When Sekishiki Meikaiha is utilized against the foe in the dimension sent, or when the user unleashes it's full power, the technique expands indefinitely, giving it a big chance to eradicate the foe's very being. *'Sekishiki Meidou Chouraku' (積尸気冥土凋落, lit. "Praesepe Dark Path Withering"): It is the technique in which the user using the bodies of people murdered or who are about to die i.e. "puppets" to catch his opponents, throws to sky and causes them panic by the visions of said souls that still leaves then fall violently to the ground. *'Sekishiki Meidou Indou' (積尸気冥土引導, lit. "Praesepe Dark Path Requiem"): It is a technique that concentrate its magical energy and create a huge ball of red energy in one of its hands, and then throw his opponent to elevate into the air. After the victim fell crashing to the ground, the ball of energy is divided into the air to fall as bombing victim, making huge explosions on impact. *'Sekishiki Meikai Rinbu' (積尸気冥界輪舞, lit. "Praesepe Underworld Ring"): It is the most powerful technique that in which the user raises their hands with clenched fists, crossing over their head while concentrating its magical energy and form two balls of energy in his fists, which then throws towards his opponent while forming a huge tornado that moves to smash. *'Sekishiki Konsoha' (積尸気鬼蒼焔, lit. "Praesepe Soul Burial Waves"): One of the most powerful attacks of this magic, the user utilizes souls summoned by them as gunpowder before igniting them into blue flames, unleashing a massive explosion that inflicts devastating damage upon the foe. The size and power of the explosion depends on the amount of souls involved—with one soul, the explosion is rather moderately small; but with an abundance of souls, the explosion has enough power to wipe out a large area. The blow has such power that it was able to obliterate S-Class Mages with a single release. *'Sekishiki Kisōen' (積尸気野火, lit. "Praesepe Demonic Blue Flames"): This technique releases a bluish light that can be spotted in cemeteries, swamps, marshes, etc. It is the spontaneous combustion of the methane gas generated by the decomposition of organic substances, natural or phosphorescence of calcium salts present in the bones buried. The user incinerates the souls in the immediate vicinity with the blue flames, therefore using them to feed the flames that the user releases forward, directly injuring the opponent's soul. *'Sekishiki Mushō' (積尸気無衝, lit. "Praesepe Nothingness Piercer"): The user releases a massive wave of condensed departed souls in the shape of a living black bird, complete with flying, in a single blast. It can travel very long distances in a short time. It has its own will, and when it gets serious it can cover itself in more departed souls, to cause anything touching it to disappear. While in that state, the black bird's body rots away but the more its body rots the more its speed increases. Parts of its body can be shot, like its fists, toward the user's opponents to attack them while also becoming lighter and faster with every passing second. When most of its body rots away, becoming a mere head, it is at its fastest and it can trap an opponent in its mouth with no way out, but a powerful enough technique can make an opening because the layer of departed souls is thin. *'Sekishiki Nyoi Reirin' (積尸気如意霊臨, lit. "Praesepe Departed Soul Summoning"): To perform this technique, the user must first obtain a fragment of the person they intends to resurrect, be it a piece of cloth, blood stain, a piece of skin, or an organ. Next, the user must separate and shape his magical energy into body-sized forms, while using the fragments as a medium. The magical energy envelops the fragments, and the bodies of the intended resurrected people are restored, as the resurrected retain most of their personality, their memories, and all their abilities they had in their lives. While this technique is incredibly useful on its own, sacrificing the resurrected for the tremendously powerful Sekishiki Tenryōha is noted by previous users and its creator to be "far more useful than an army of zombies", only further hammering in the power of Sekishiki Tenryōha. If the user revives a large amount of beings, then it is extremely exhausting to the point that they will not be able to fight; however, if they only resurrects one to five, then he still can fight alongside them. This technique shares the same principles as Ethereal Body Subordination Magic; however, the stark difference between the two lies in the limitations and the magical energy expended thus making the former more powerful than this technique. :*'Sekishiki Tenryōha' (積尸気転霊波, lit. "Praesepe Returning Spirits Waves"): The user gathers the souls he revived with Sekishiki Nyoi Reirin. They then sacrifices them to form a massive energy ball which transfigures into thousands of specters which take the form of deceased people that the opponent has encountered at some time in their lifetime, which fly at the user's foe at the speed of light; these specters can engulf the user's foe completely by their sheer numbers alone, sending them to the afterlife. Trivia *It's said that in Chinese mythology, the Cancer constellation, there exists a cluster of stars known as the Praesepe. It's said that it acts as the portal every living soul has to cross to reach the afterlife. Ironically enough, the abilities of this magic is based on such a concept. *This magic is based on the abilities of the Cancer Saints from the anime/manga series, Saint Seiya; this is clearly seen in some of the techniques. *The author created this magic after finding out that the manipulations of souls is possible in the FTVerse, sans the existence of a certain, unnoticed magic in the series. Category:Subspecies Magic Category:Caster Magic Category:Forbidden Magic Category:Magic Category:Magic and Abilities Category:Under Construction Category:Necromancy Category:Black Arts Category:Alpha's Wondrous Magical World Category:Olphion Completed Gallery